System and method for internet-based customer check-in

ABSTRACT

An internet-based system and method allows customers to remotely check-in to a wait list for a no-appointment first listed-first served business. A location associated with a customer is received and an interactive map displays multiple icons with each icon corresponding to a location of the business. A dynamically updated estimated wait time for the wait list at each business location is displayed. A customer selection of a location at which to receive a service from the business is received by a selection of the icon representing the business and the customer is added to the wait list at the location.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/682,710 filed Aug. 22, 2017, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 14/927,787 filed Oct. 30, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No.9,741,064 issued Aug. 22, 2017, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 13/327,994 filed Dec. 16, 2011, now abandoned,which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 11/974,074 filed Oct.11, 2007, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,214,241 issued Jul. 3, 2012, which claimsthe benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/965,358 filed Aug.20, 2007, each of which is hereby fully incorporated herein byreference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a internet-based customercheck-in system and method and more particularly to an internet-basedcustomer check-in system and method that provides customers with moreaccurate estimated wait times for services at a plurality of locationsshown on a map-based geographical display in real time.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many businesses, such as no-appointment hair salons, offer services tocustomers on a first-come, first-served basis and do not acceptappointments. Because of this, customers typically do not know how longof a wait it will be to receive a desired service until arrival at thebusiness location. If the wait is too long, the customer may decide toforego the service altogether. Although the customer can call ahead tolearn an estimated wait time, many businesses do not allow a customer tohave the customer's name put on the wait list until the customer entersthe store. In addition, some businesses have numerous locations situatedrelatively near each other to which a customer has the option of going.However, a customer cannot practically determine which location will beable provide the desired service the soonest, as this would entailvisiting each location or making numerous phone calls to inquire abouteach location's wait time. In addition, the wait times customers receiveare simply guesses by the employees typically based solely on the numberof customers currently on the waiting list. Due to variations in thetime it takes different employees to perform different services, suchguesses are usually grossly inaccurate.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A internet-based customer check-in system and method allows customers toview estimated wait times at a plurality of service providing locationsin order to select a location to visit based on the most convenientlocation and the best estimated wait time for the customer. A map basedgraphical display of service locations within the vicinity of theentered address and an estimated wait time to have the requested serviceperformed at each location are presented to the customer. The customercan select a desired location to be placed on the location'sno-appointment, first listed-first served waiting list by business of alocation by selecting an icon on the map representing that location.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The invention may be more completely understood in consideration of thefollowing detailed description of various embodiments of the inventionin connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is flowchart of steps taken by a customer to join a waiting listusing a web-based customer check-in system according to the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 2 is a screenshot of a welcome page of a web-based customercheck-in system according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a screenshot of a wait time display page of a web-basedcustomer check-in system according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a screenshot of a customer information page of a web-basedcustomer check-in system according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a screenshot of a confirmation and directions page of aweb-based customer check-in system according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a screenshot of a store interface of a web-based customercheck-in system according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of steps taken according to a wait time algorithmaccording to the present disclosure.

While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternativeforms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in thedrawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood,however, that the intention is not to limit the invention to theparticular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is tocover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling withinthe spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 depicts the steps 100 taken by a customer to use a web-basedcustomer check-in system according to the present disclosure. Initially,the customer accesses the internet and navigates to a business's websiteto access its web-based customer check-in welcome page 202, depicted inFIG. 2, at step 102. The welcome page 202 can provide instructions 204regarding the operation of the web-based customer check-in system fornew customers. At step 104, the customer can enter an address into atext box 206 on the welcome page 202 so that the system can locateservice locations of the business near the address. The address can bethe customer's home, office, or any other reference address from whichthe customer wishes to find nearby service locations.

After the customer has entered an address, the system displays thenearest locations 210 and estimated wait times 212 at each location 210.The customer can view the results on a wait time display page 208,depicted in FIG. 3, at step 106. Alternatively, the wait time displaypage 208 can automatically be displayed when a customer searches for theservice or the business in a search engine, such as Google™. Thebusiness locations 210 displayed can be determined based on a designatednumber of locations or based on all locations within a certain distanceof the entered address, such as, for example, 10 miles. Locations canalternatively be displayed based on wait times, such as, for example,all locations within a certain distance whose wait times are under 20minutes. The locations 210 can be displayed graphically on a map 214showing each location 210 relative to each other and the enteredaddress. The graphical display can utilize, for example, Google™ Maps.

Estimated wait times can be determined according to the steps 300 of await time algorithm, as shown in FIG. 7. The algorithm first determineswhich employees of the business are currently available to performservices at the location at step 302. This can be done by having theemployees “clock in” when they are working and having them “clock out”when their shifts are over or they go on break. Next, the remainingservice time for each employee who is currently serving a customer iscalculated at step 304. This calculation is estimated by first averaginghistorical service times for the particular employee performing theservice based on the type of service performed and other relevantfactors in the industry, such as, for example, the sex of the customerin the hair salon industry (because services performed on femalestypically take longer than similar services performed on males due toaverage hair length). The remaining service time is then calculated bysubtracting the elapsed time for the service from the total estimatedservice time. After estimating the remaining service time for eachemployee, the employees are placed in order of soonest availability toserve another customer at step 306. Employees who are not currentlyserving a customer are therefore at the top of the list. Service time isthen calculated for each customer on the waiting list at step 308. Thisis done by pairing the first customer on the waiting list with the firstavailable employee and determining the estimated service time for theemployee to perform the particular service for the particular customer.That service time is then added to that employee's total remainingservice time and the list of available employees is reordered. Thisprocess is repeated for each customer on the waiting list and for eachnew customer who joins the waiting list. The wait time for each customerjoining the waiting list is the shortest remaining service time for anactive employee.

The above wait time calculation can be done continuously, or performedat regular intervals, so the wait time is always up-to-date. Changesthat are taken into account in updating the wait time include: customersgetting served (moving from the wait list to the service list), servicesbeing completed for customers, customers' desired service gettingchanged, customers leaving before being served, employees leaving and/orreturning based on shift times and breaks, and services moving closer tocompletion as time elapses. If an employee is serving more than onecustomer at a time, then only the longest service time is considered inthe calculation. The algorithm can also take into account customers whoappear to have left the store by removing those customers from thecalculation. If a customer should have been served (there was anemployee available and the customer was the next one in line), but wasnot, the customer can be excluded from the calculation after apredetermined period, such as, for example, ten minutes. The calculationcan also ignore employees who appear to be absent or otherwiseunavailable. If an employee is clocked in and customers are waiting, butthe employee is not serving any customers, the employee can be excludedafter a predetermined period.

The wait time at each location can therefore be calculated in astatistically significant manner based on measured historical data. Thisis in contrast to the “gut-feeling” type of wait time typically givenbased solely on the number of customers ahead on the waiting list.Calculating wait times based on historical data allows customers toreceive more accurate wait times. The historical data can be updatedeach time an employee performs a service, thereby constantly improvingthe accuracy of the wait time predictions.

Upon viewing the various wait times at nearby locations, the customercan select a location at which the customer wishes to be placed on thewaiting list at step 108 by clicking on a location on the map. To beplaced on the waiting list, the customer enters information 218 into acustomer information page 216, shown in FIG. 4, at step 110. Theinformation 218 can include, for example, the customer's name, phonenumber, service requested, and the number of guests requesting services.Once the customer has submitted the requested information, the customeris placed on the location's waiting list. Thus, the customer need notphysically arrive at the location to be placed on the waiting list. Oncethe customer is placed on the waiting list, the wait time algorithmautomatically adjusts the estimated wait time for the location forsubsequent customers using the system.

The customer can receive a confirmation that the customer has beenplaced on the waiting list for the selected location on a confirmationpage 220 at step 112. The confirmation can also include drivingdirections 222 from the entered address to the location, as depicted inFIG. 5. Alternatively, the customer can be provided with an option ofreceiving directions from the confirmation page. The customer can nowtravel to the location and receive the requested service. Web-basedcustomer check-in system therefore provides customers with the abilityto select the location that will minimize the customer's wait time. Thewait time is further minimized because the customer can be placed on thewaiting list before arriving at the location, allowing the customer'stravel time, which must take place anyway, to reduce the wait time.

When a customer checks in for a service via web-based customer check-in,the customer's entered information will appear on the businesslocation's store interface 224 as shown in FIG. 6. Web check-incustomers can be separately identified from walk-in customers throughtext 226 and/or graphics (i.e., a differently colored box). Web check-incustomers join the waiting list 228 in the order of check-in withwalk-in customers. An estimated wait time 230 can be displayed for eachcustomer on the waiting list 228. A running overall estimated wait timeincorporating both walk-in customers and web customers can be displayedon the store interface 224 to be given by employees to any walk-incustomers who enter and wish to know what the wait time is. When a webcheck-in customer arrives at the store, the customer's information andrequested service received from the web-based check-in can be confirmedby an employee. Once the customer is called to receive the customer'srequested service, the customer is transferred from the wait list 228 toa service list 232 and each customer on the wait list 228 moves forwardin the queue. The time that each customer has spent on the wait list 228and on the service list 232 can also be displayed on the store interface224. When a customer's service has been completed, the customer isremoved from the service list 232.

Web-based customer check-in system and method can be used by anybusiness that provides services to customers on a first-come,first-served basis. The system and method are designed for use withno-appointment business; it is not a web-based appointment schedulingsystem and method. It can be most advantageously employed by businessesproviding such services at numerous locations that are situatedrelatively near each other from which customers may choose to visit. Onetype of business for which the disclosed system and method areparticular well suited is no-appointment hair salon chains. A customerseeking a haircut, perm, or other service can remotely access thechain's website and enter the wait list at whichever nearby salon canprovide the desired service at the most convenient time for thecustomer. This can significantly reduce the time a customer wouldotherwise spend sitting in the no-appointment salon's waiting room. Thewait times given to customers are also much more accurate because theyare based on measured historical data, which reduces the likelihood ofcustomers arriving undesirably early or late for their requestedservices.

The embodiments above are intended to be illustrative and not limiting.Additional embodiments are encompassed within the scope of the claims.Although the present invention has been described with reference toparticular embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize thatchanges may be made in form and detail without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention.

1-15. (canceled)
 16. A web-based graphical user interface configured toenable a customer to be placed on a waiting list at one of a pluralityof no appointment, first listed, first served businesses having numerousphysical locations, the graphical user interface comprising: aninteractive map display including a plurality of icons corresponding tothe plurality of no appointment, first listed, first served businesses,wherein the icons correspond to physical locations of the plurality ofno appointment, first listed, first served businesses, the iconspositioned on the interactive map display to show distances relative toeach other and a geographic location of the customer, and wherein eachof the plurality of icons further display an estimated wait timerepresenting a length of time a customer checking-in at a given timewould need to wait to be served at each of the corresponding pluralityof no appointment, first listed, first served businesses; a check-inscreen enabling the customer to be placed on a waiting list at aselected location of the plurality of no appointment, first listed,first served businesses, wherein selection of one of the plurality oficons through user interaction with the interactive map displayautomatically displays the check-in screen for the correspondingselected location, wherein the check-in screen includes a request for anentry of a name and phone number prior placing the customer on thewaiting list at the selected location; and a confirmation screenconfirming that the customer has been placed on the waiting list for theselected location.
 17. The web-based graphical user interface of claim16, wherein the geographic location of the customer is based at least onone of an entered city, state or postal code.
 18. The web-basedgraphical user interface of claim 16, wherein a determination to displaythe plurality of no appointment, first listed, first served businessesas icons on the interactive map display is based on a defined quantityof no appointment, first listed, first served businesses, all noappointment, first listed, first served businesses geographicallylocated within a defined distance of the geographic location of thecustomer, all no appointment, first listed, first served businesseshaving a wait time of less than a defined quantity of time, orcombination thereof.
 19. The web-based graphical user interface of claim16, wherein the interactive map display utilizes GOOGLE maps.
 20. Theweb-based graphical user interface of claim 16, wherein the estimatedwait time for each of the plurality of icons is continually updated. 21.The web-based graphical user interface of claim 16, wherein theestimated wait time for each of the plurality of icons is updated eachtime that a customer is moved from the waiting list to a service list, aservice is completed for a customer, a customer is removed from thewaiting list, an employee ceases servicing customers, an employeereturns to servicing customers, or combination thereof.
 22. Theweb-based graphical user interface of claim 16, wherein the estimatedwait time is based on an average historical service time for eachemployee currently servicing customers at the no appointment, firstlisted, first served business.
 23. The web-based graphical userinterface of claim 22, wherein the average historical service time isspecific to each employee.
 24. The web-based graphical user interface ofclaim 23, wherein the average historical service time is updated eachtime the employee completes a service for a customer.
 25. The web-basedgraphical user interface of claim 22, wherein the average historicalservice time is specific to the type of service performed, the sex ofthe customer, or combination thereof.
 26. The web-based graphical userinterface of claim 16, wherein the estimated wait time is based on aremaining service time for each employee currently serving a customer,plus a service time for each customer on the waiting list, wherein eachcustomer on the waiting list is paired with an employee currentlyservicing customers.
 27. The web-based graphical user interface of claim16, wherein the check-in screen further includes a request for at leastone of a type of service requested, a number of guests requestingservices, or combination thereof.
 28. The web-based graphical userinterface of claim 16, wherein the confirmation screen includes drivingdirections from the geographic location of the customer to an address ofthe selected location.